With their varying flavor intensities and alcohol contents, microbrews are here because beer distributors noticed a market demand and took a gamble on imports like Corona in the 70s. This type of flavorful beer sold to a limited yet very enthusiastic crowd.
Beer manufacturers create what sells, therefore they didn’t believe there would be a significant market with those types of beers. Consumer studies and sales showed that the biggest part of the American audiences enjoyed watery brew.
Then, out of nowhere, microbrews popped up after the first successful brew, Samuel Adams, fought with import distributors to try and convince them that a flavorful American beer would sell. Now, we have more microbrews than ever before with more coming out each and every day.
Microbrews really hit when distributors really believed that at least some people would buy them.
On the other hand, home brewers and brewpubs had legal wars. In 1968, home brewing was legalized and home brewers now had the support and assistance of supply and advice stores.
Until 1983, brewpubs were illegal in all states.
Late in 1983, California first began to allow brewpubs to brew and distribute their brands of beer on site. These charming, yet small batch breweries experienced high sales, especially in restaurants.
Around a century ago, the United States had more than 2,000 breweries making many different styles and variations. By the 80’s, there were only 40 brewing companies that offered a brand of American Pilsner.
Today, there are over 500 microbreweries and brewpubs in the United States. Over the past few years, brewpubs have been popping up all over the place, even in bars that used to only carry the top beers.
Brewpub Heaven
Everyone knows that if your looking for the best in coffee, you go to Seattle. For wine, you go to California. When it comes to the best in beer, you go to Portland Oregon, where your never more than 15 minutes away from a quality brewpub.
The Williamette Rive in western Oregon has been the center of hop growing and brewing since the days of the pioneers. When the microbrew revolution began, the history and the hops were already there, along with the spring water, the grain, and the fruit for summer beers. As a result, regional brewers and microbrewers began to pop up all over the place.
After that, it didn’t take long at all for the brewpub to follow. These beers weren’t just for washing down food anymore. The hand crafted beers could be used in cooking, just like wine. In the brewpubs of Portland, the beer also forms a base for salad dressing, spices up marinades, and even helps to sweeten the desserts as well.
Many brewpubs will offer a sampler of the best in beer tasting. You can think of it as wine tasting without the snooty steward. You sip on small amounts of a variety of brews to see what the brewer can do, from the light and hoppy to the dark yet sweet brews.
What to expect
1. Good head on the beer. Good head
ensures that you’ll get a strong smell of the brew, so be sure to pour it into your glass very carefully.
2. Always use a glass. You should always
use a clean glass, a very clean glass. In most brewing establishments, the glasses are always hand washed and air dried to ensure that there isn’t a speck of grease in the glass to deflate the head and leave soapy looking bubbles behind.
3. The English are right. As the English
know, refrigerated beer is too cold to fully appreciate the taste. In brewpubs, the beer is served at temperatures that are cool but not that cold. The iced and chilled glasses are saved for martinis.
4. Vocabulary. Beer has a mouth feel,
which describes the body of the brew – light, medium, and full. The color can be misleading, as even light bodied beers can be full bodied.
Anytime you are looking for the best in microbrews, you can count on Oregon to deliver the best in beer. There are hundreds of brewpubs here, with everything you could ever want. Anytime you are in the area, don’t hesitate to stop off and see why the microbrews here are easily among the best in the United States – or the world for that matter.
Beer Culture
Social context
Many social traditions and activities are very associated with drinking beer, such as playing cards, darts, or other games. The consumption of beer in isolation and excess may be associated with people drinking away their troubles, while drinking in excess with company may be associated with binge drinking.
Around the world
All over the world, beer is consumed. There are several breweries in the Middle East countries as well, such as Iraq and Syria. There is also breweries in African countries and other remote countries such as Mongolia as well.
Glassware serving
Getting an appropriate beer glass is considered desirable by some drinkers. There are some drinkers of beer that may sometimes drink out of the bottle or can, while others may choose to pour their beer into a glass. Drinking from a bottle picks up aromas by the nose, so if a drinker wishes to appreciate the aroma of a beer, the beer is first poured into a mug, glass, or stein.
Similar to wine, there is specialized styles of glasses for some types of beer, with some breweries producing glassware intended for their own styles of beer.
Temperature
The conditions for serving beer have a big influence on a drinker’s experiences. An important factor when drinking is the temperature – as colder temperatures will start to inhibit the chemical senses of the tongue and throat, which will narrow down the flavor profile of beer, allow certain lagers to release their crispness.
Pouring
The process of pouring will have an influence on the presentation of beer. The flow rate from the tap, titling of the glass, and position of the pour into the glass will all affect the outcome, such as the size and longevity of the head and the turbulence of the bar as it begins to release the carbonation.
The more heavily carbonated beers such as German pilsners will need settling time before they are served, although many of them are served with the addition of the remaining yeast at the bottom to add extra color and flavor.
Beer rating
The rating of beer is a craze that combines the enjoyment of drinking beer with the hobby of collecting it. Those that drink beer sometimes tend to record their scores and comments on various internet websites.
This is a worldwide activity, as people in the United States will swap bottles of beer with those living in New Zealand and Russia. The scores may then be tallied together to create lists of the most popular beers in each country as well as those throughout the world.